Sven Dietrich elected Vice Chair of the Technical Activities Committee of the IEEE

8/13/2012

Dr. Sven Dietrich, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the Stevens Institute of Technology, has been elected Vice Chair for the IEEE Computer Society Technical Activities Committee. As Internet technology continues to dominate business and culture, Dr. Dietrich is at the front lines of protecting computers and networks from cyberattacks such as botnets and denial of service attacks.

Dr. Sven Dietrich

Cybersecurity is becoming more critical to our future, in the office and at home. The White House declared cybersecurity a matter of national public safety and a priority for the current administration in its Cyberspace Policy Review in 2009. “With cybercrime on the rise, increasing numbers of individuals are hacked, making Dr. Dietrich’s work even more important,” says Dr. Michael Bruno, Dean of the Charles Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science. “We applaud Dr. Dietrich on his election as Vice Chair of IEEE Computer Society Technical Activities Committee and we are proud to have talented and passionate faculty like him who are constantly innovating in cybersecurity.”

Dr. Dietrich is a specialist in computer and network security, conducting ground breaking research in secure sockets layer protocol (SSL), intrusion detection, analysis of distributed denial-of-service tools, and the security of IP communications in space. His most recent work focuses on protecting systems from botnet attacks, which have become a major threat. A botnet is a collection of compromised internet-connected computers that is covertly controlled by an intruder. Botnets are used for a variety of malicious purposes, including stealing sensitive information and conducting distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks that shut down internet services. Dr. Dietrich researches methods of detecting hidden botnets and identifying local members of peer-to-peer botnets in order to prevent attacks before they occur.

Dr. Dietrich plays an integral role at the Center for the Advancement of Secure Systems and Information Assurancewhich has earned Stevens its designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance by the National Security Agency. In addition, he was elected in January 2012 to chair the IEEE Computer Society‘s Technical Committee on Security and Privacy. Dietrich is also associate editor of the committee’s electronic newsletter, Cipher, where he curates breaking news, conference reviews, and insightful commentary on current events and issues in computer security and privacy.

“There are few who are as knowledgeable and respected in computer and network security as Dr. Dietrich,” says Computer Science Department Director Dr. Daniel Duchamp. “He is a foremost expert in cybersecurity and continually challenges himself and his colleagues to improve network security, and brings to this position the highest level of expertise and commitment.”

Dr. Dietrich previously served as Senior Member of the Technical Staff at CERT Research at Carnegie Mellon University and also held an appointment at the Carnegie Mellon University CyLab, a university-wide cybersecurity research and education initiative. Before entering academia, Dr. Dietrich was a Senior Security Architect at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

The IEEE Computer Society Technical Activities Committee is composed of professionals with common interests in computer hardware, software, applications, and interdisciplinary fields. The Technical Activities Committee oversees the many task forces, technical committees, and technical councils of the Society. It provides a hands-on approach for professionals to become involved in the technical community and collaborate with others to advance their respective fields.